


Bloodstained Cloak

by LyriaBlackFrost



Series: BTH Bingo [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Blood and Injury, Broken Bones, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-10 14:48:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20853542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyriaBlackFrost/pseuds/LyriaBlackFrost
Summary: When the group is attacked by the Reaper, Ryuji decides to face it in an attempt to give his friends a chance to escape. After being forced to leave their boyfriend behind, Akira and Ann go search for him, but fear they might already be too late.[BTH Bingo: Slammed Into a Wall]





	Bloodstained Cloak

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is part of the [Bad Things Happen Bingo](https://badthingshappenbingo.tumblr.com) challenge. Please check the tags before you read.

The chilling sound of chains took the Phantom Thieves by surprise. Neither of them had heard that sound before in Mementos, but it was enough to make Morgana’s entire body grow cold.

“This isn’t good...” he muttered.

“What isn’t?” Ryuji furrowed his brow. “You mean this weird sound?”

“Do you know what it is?” asked Akira.

“I can’t remember...” the cat—car—sighed. “But I have a feeling it’s bad news.”

Akira meant to question him further, in an attempt of reawakening some of his lost memories, when Futaba jumped on her seat, her face going pale.

“There’s something really strong approaching us,” she said. “It’s—”

She stopped talking and the others stared at her, concerned, as she used Necronomicon to investigate.

“Makoto, stop!” she yelled suddenly. “You’re going straight at it!”

Makoto stopped Morgana, looking over her shoulder to Futaba, who gestured in urgency.

“Get us out of here!” she continued. “It’s getting close!”

“What is...?” Makoto’s question died as soon as she looked at the dark tunnel in front of them once again. “Oh, God...!”

Everyone followed her gaze, and there, in the distance, an enormous shadow appeared, illuminated by Morgana’s lights. It was difficult to see clearly, but it seemed to be a cloaked humanoid figure, much bigger than a normal person, with heavy chains around its torso and a pair of pistols in its hands.

“It’s him...” murmured Morgana in a weak, frightened voice. “The Reaper.”

The name made a shiver go down Akira’s spine.

“What are you doing?” yelled Futaba again. “Get us out of here!”

Makoto woke up from her shock, turning the wheel to drive them to the opposite side from that shadow. The Reaper, noticing her intentions, raised both weapons, firing at them. Akira flinched, waiting for the impact, but before it could hit them Futaba raised a protective barrier around Morgana. The shadow kept approaching, firing at them again and again.

“I can’t hold it for much longer!” warned Futaba. “We need to run!”

“I’m trying...” said Makoto. “But it’s getting closer too fast!”

It was true... The Reaper was now but a few meters away from the car, enough so Akira could see what appeared to be bloodstains on the black fabric around his neck. Panic grew inside him: if that thing reached them, they would be as good as dead. He barely had the time to think about it, though, since soon Ryuji got up from the seat beside him, going to the front of the car.

“Makoto, take them away from here,” he said in a serious voice.

She looked at him, seeming lost.

“Skull, what are you...?”

Before she could finish the question, Ryuji opened the car’s door.

“Givin’ it another target,” he answered, then jumped out of Morgana.

“Ryuji!”

Akira and Ann jolted up as well, but before they could follow Ryuji, Yusuke and Haru stopped them.

“Wait!” said Haru. “That thing is going to kill you!”

“We can’t let it kill _him_!” answered Ann.

“Oh no...” Makoto’s distressed voice called their attention. “It already saw him.”

They looked at the scene in front of them, seeing how the Reaper turned his head from the car to that apparently small creature approaching him.

“This is our only chance…” muttered Futaba.

Akira stared at her in disbelief, but the look on her face made it clear that she hated the idea as much as everyone else.

“Queen…” he started to say—almost plead.

Makoto gritted her teeth, then hit the accelerator and started to drive away. Akira and Ann looked through the rear window, watching as Ryuji avoided the Reaper’s attacks, firing his gun at him. Before they could get too far to see them, the Reaper finally managed to hit Ryuji in the chest with his arm, raising Ryuji’s body in the air before slamming it against the wall. Ann screamed, Akira felt as if his blood had frozen in his veins.

“No!” Ann fought against Yusuke to free herself. “We need to go back! Ryuji… Ryuji is—”

“We can’t defeat that shadow!” interrupted Morgana.

“Are you saying we should just leave him there?” she insisted.

“If we die, there won’t be anyone else to help him!” answered Haru in a loud voice. She then shut her eyes, gritting her teeth. “Panther, please... We have no choice.”

Ann opened her mouth to protest again, but instead of words, a loud sob left her throat.

“We’re not abandoning him,” said Futaba in a serious voice, using her Persona to scan the area. “There is a crossroad ahead. The left side will take you back to that place. We can lure that thing away while someone goes back to help Skull.”

“I’ll go,” said Akira.

“Me too,” agreed Ann.

Haru and Yusuke exchanged a brief look.

“Then we—”

Before Yusuke could speak, Futaba shook her head.

“More than that would draw the attention of the Reaper,” she said, then faced Akira and Ann. “Can you do it on your own?”

They agreed. There was no time to keep discussing, since soon the crossroad entered their field of vision. Yusuke handed Akira their pouch with items, giving him a light tap on the shoulder.

“Come back safe,” he said.

“We’ll regroup on the safe area two floors above,” said Morgana. “Please, be careful.”

Makoto slowed down for only a second, so the two of them could jump out of the car. Akira and Ann held each other’s hand, running together, getting farther from the car without looking back, hoping that the Reaper hadn’t chosen to follow them instead. As the sound of chains grew distant, they realized the plan had worked. Still, they didn’t slow down, making their way back to where they had first met that shadow.

They found Ryuji there, fallen on the ground with his back against the wall, his head hanging heavily over his chest. They approached him, and, without wasting time, Ann cast Diarama. Akira placed both hands on Ryuji’s face, lifting it. His skin seemed made of chalk, and trails of dark blood left his nose and mouth. Akira felt as if an invisible hand was crushing his heart.

“No...” he muttered. “No, Ryuji… please...”

_Please, don't do this to me._

Ann cast Diarama a second time. Akira placed his hand on the side of Ryuji’s neck, going completely still, trying to feel... _something_.

It was there... weak, almost imperceptible, but still a pulse. Ryuji wasn’t dead yet—they could still save him.

“He’s alive...” Akira sighed in relief.

“Thank God...” answered Ann, taking a deep breath before casting the healing magic a third time. “I need help... There are too many broken bones, and he lost too much blood already.”

Akira didn’t question her. First he reached to their pouch, using the healing items one by one. Slowly, the color started to come back to Ryuji’s face, and they were able to hear his breath again. When all broken bones had been mended and the internal bleeding stopped, Ann relaxed a little, almost falling to the side with the exhaustion. Akira held her, pulling her close so she could lean against him for support. He reached for Ryuji’s face again, relieved to feel a slight warmth against his palm.

“Ryuji...” Akira called, only then realizing he was using his real name. “Skull, can you hear me?”

He didn’t answer.

“We need to get him out of here,” said Ann. “That thing could come back at any moment.”

Akira agreed.

“I’ll carry him,” he said. “Can you walk?”

“Yes,” answered Ann. “I just got a little dizzy.”

They quickly got back on their feet. Ann helped Akira place Ryuji on his back, and they left the place as fast as possible—which wasn’t much, given the situation.

“Two floors above…” muttered Akira. “Do you think we can remember the way back?”

“I don’t know,” admitted Ann. “But we can’t stay still. Even if we go the wrong way…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but Akira understood what she meant: it wouldn’t be as easy for that thing to find them again if they kept moving. They kept walking for what seemed like hours, but probably didn’t go beyond a few minutes, until a low groan called Akira’s attention. He stopped walking, drawing Ann’s gaze to him as he crouched on the floor, holding Ryuji in his arms as he carefully touched his cheek.

“Skull,” he called. “Can you hear me?”

Another pained groan. Ryuji opened his eyes, taking some time to finally focus them on Akira.

“Are you alright?” asked Ann, kneeling beside them.

He shifted his gaze to her, taking some time to speak.

“Why are you here...?” he asked in a weak voice. “I told you to run away.”

“We did,” answered Ann. “We—”

Her voice broke, tears rolling down her face as she tried to dry them.

“We thought we lost you!” she said in a loud tone.

With some effort, Ryuji raised his hand, touching Ann’s face with his fingers.

“Ugly cryin’ face...” he muttered with a smile.

Ann grabbed his hand holding it against her cheek.

“Shut up!” she yelled. “You don’t know how worried I was! I really thought you... That I’d never see you again!”

“Sorry...” muttered Ryuji in response.

He lowered his gaze. Akira placed a hand on his forehead, then caressed his hair with his fingers.

“It’s alright,” he said. “Soon we’ll meet the others and get out of here.”

Ryuji nodded. He pressed his lips shut, closing his eyes, but unable to hold back a small sob.

“Shit...”

He placed a hand over his face, his shoulders shaking as he cried in silence.

“Sorry…” he repeated. “I didn’t want you guys to see me being this pathetic, but... fuck...”

His sobs became louder. Akira brought him closer, hugging him against his chest, rocking their bodies back and forth in an attempt to calm him down. Ann approached them, hugging Ryuji from the other side, keeping him safe between Akira and herself.

“Don’t worry about it…” she said, “just let it out.”

Ryuji lowered his hand, but still kept it over his mouth.

“Before I passed out, I felt like…” he stopped, shutting his eyes. “Like everythin’ inside me was breakin’ at once. I was sure I was gonna die there.”

“As if we would let you...” muttered Akira.

“I was so fuckin’ scared!” proceeded Ryuji. “I didn’t even know what to do, I just… I just wanted to keep that thing away from…”

“We know,” said Ann. “We were so scared for you too… But it’s over now.”

“Yeah,” agreed Akira. “We got you.”

Ryuji nodded again. Akira and Ann exchanged a brief look, then tightened their hug. Neither of them moved or talked for a while, giving Ryuji some time to calm down. When his sobs finally stopped, Akira gave him a kiss on the temple.

“We should keep going,” he said. “It isn’t safe to stay here. Can you walk?”

“I dunno…” admitted Ryuji. “Everythin’ is kinda foggy.”

“Just lean on us,” said Ann, “we’ll help you.”

The three got up, slowly proceeding to the floor where Morgana had told them to go. When they got there, the whole group had already arrived, and immediately ran in their direction.

“You’re all safe!” said Haru, approaching them with a relieved smile.

“So are you, it seems,” observed Akira.

Makoto got close to Ryuji, quickly checking if he still had any injuries or broken bones.

“Everyone is safe, thanks to you,” she said. “You were very brave to face that creature alone.”

“But it doesn’t excuse you jumping out of the car like that!” protested Futaba, giving Ryuji a light punch on the chest. “You better be ready to have your ass kicked as soon as we leave this place!”

“Is this how you thank me?” Ryuji arched his brow in disbelief.

“I would pat your head too,” she answered, “but I’m too short to reach it.”

Her comment made Ryuji laugh, and Futaba answered by just letting her whole body bump against him, in what should be her awkward attempt of a hug. Yusuke approached him as well, placing a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it.

“We’re glad to have you back,” he said.

“I suppose we are…” agreed Morgana with an annoyed sigh. “Someone has to take the hits for us, and if it’s not you, it’ll probably have to be me.”

“Is that the only reason, you ungrateful cat?”

Morgana grinned. As playful as his words could be, his relief was clear, just like everyone else’s. There would be no Phantom Thieves if the eight of them weren’t together, and, despite being unspoken, that was a feeling shared by the whole group.

After a few more minutes—in which Makoto made sure that Akira and Ann were uninjured as well—Morgana changed into his car form, so they could finally put an end to that stressful day.

“No more scares like that, alright?” asked Ann in a low voice, when she was alone again with Ryuji and Akira.

“Alright,” answered Ryuji.

“Good,” said Akira. “I don’t think my heart can take something like this again.”

They followed their friends, sitting side by side inside Morgana—Ann and Akira resting their heads on Ryuji’s shoulders. Without another word, the three joined their hands as Makoto drove them back to the entrance of Mementos and the real world.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
